Ch. 45: Lost Girl
It was a nebulous night on the island, as Rumple stood by some wood that was stacked up, and brought out a fireball. He then through it at the wood and it made a campfire. He then released his own shadow with the dagger and held it out to his shadow.
“You know what to do. Hide it where no one can find it. Not even me.”
His shadow took it and flew off.
Meanwhile, the others were on the island, Charming cutting through the bushes to make a pathway, as they walked, being in the lead. Hook was behind Charming, while Regina was behind him and Katherine behind Regina, with Snow being at the end.
“The ridge is just a few hundred paces up ahead,” Hook informed them all.
“You really think we’re gonna be able to see Pan’s hideout?” Katherine questioned.
“From there, we should be able to see everything. Including where he’s keeping Henry.”
“You know, I could have just poofed us up here in an instant,” Regina reminded him.
“Where? Have you any idea what’s up here? Or anywhere? There are dangers all about. Only I can guide us past them.”
“He’s right. Hook’s lived here before,” Katherine agreed, not doubting him. “If he says hiking up is the best way, then we listen.”
“Here. You need to stay hydrated,” Snow said to Katherine, offering her a canteen of water.
“Thanks,” Katherine said, and stopped and took a drink from it. Then she started walking again, this time ahead of Snow.
They got to a small clearing and when Hook recognized the thorns, he grabbed Charming’s wrist, stopping him, as he told him no.
Charming looked at him.
“I can handle a couple thorns.”
“That’s dreamshade,” Hook informed him. “It’s not the thorns you have to worry about. It’s the poison they inject you with. The plant is the source of the toxins I used on the Dark One.”
“The poison that almost killed Gold?”
Hook looked at Katherine when she asked that and then back at the thorns.
“Indeed. I used a concentrated dose. In its natural form, death would be much slower and far more painful. I suggest we go this way.”
Hook was about to go to his right, but Charming began to go to his left, not trusting him, as he said, “We’ll go this way.”
Everyone followed Charming, but Katherine stayed behind with Hook.
“He’s a distrustful fellow,” Hook stated.
“He’s just not used to working with the bad guys,” Katherine replied.
“I assure you, on this island, I’m not the bad guy.”
“Yeah, well, Pan’s not supposed to be one either,” she said, and began to go the way Charming and the others had.
“What possibly gave you that idea?” Hook wanted to know, as he followed her.
“Every story I ever heard as a child.”
“Well, they got it wrong. Pan’s the most treacherous villain I’ve ever faced. Listen, tell me something, luv, in these stories, what was I like? Other than a villain. Handsome, I gather?” He ended with a smile.
“Depends on which version. There are many different versions of your story, but yes, handsome is part of the stories. In some, you’re older with a mustache and a perm. I didn’t much like the version of you with a perm, though. They all have something in common though. You’re a villain and Pan’s the hero and you lost a hand to an actual crocodile. There’s nothing about Dark Ones in the stories,” she explained to him. Then she began to walk off.
He stopped walking.
“I take it, perms are bad?”
They heard Charming call, saying, “Up here,” and so they followed to where Charming and the others were. “We made it,” Charming added.
As they looked across, it was a long drop down and a long way to jump to the other side, unless you knew how to fly.
“Pan’s lair should be just right…,” Hook began.
“Where? All I see is jungle,” Regina replied.
“Aye. The Dark Jungle.” Hook pulled out his handheld telescope to look at it. “It’s, uh, grown somewhat since I last stepped foot in Neverland.” He put it away.
“So this nature hike was for nothing?” Regina blurted out.
“Hook may have led us astray, but at least we’re in a good position to start combing the jungle,” Charming said.
“Not exactly,” Hook warned.
Snow and then Charming looked at Hook, as Hook continued.
“The Dark Jungle is the last place you want to set foot. We’ll have to go around it. In order to do that, we’re going to need our strength. I suggest we make camp.”
“You want to sleep while my son is out there suffering?” Regina argued with him.
Hook sighed. “If you want to live long enough to save your boy, yes.” He then looked at Katherine and walked off. Then Regina followed behind Hook and then Charming put his sword back in its sheath and did the same. Snow was about to follow, but saw that Katherine wasn’t going anywhere, so she stopped and looked at her.
“You okay?” Snow asked.
“Regina’s right. Henry’s out there somewhere.”
“And Hook is right,” Snow assured her. “We have to survive if we’re going to get him.”
“I know. I just hope we’re not too late.”
“After everything Charming and I have been through, there’s one thing we’ve learned. It’s never too late.”
Later that night, they were all asleep, but when Katherine started hearing some kind of noise, she woke up and grabbed Neal’s old sword and went to investigate, only to see a boy leaning against a tree.
“You can hear that, too? You’re Katherine, right? I wonder why they can’t hear the crying.”
She raised her sword to him, standing a little ways a way.
“Who are you?”
“Oh, did I forget to introduce myself? I’m Peter. Peter Pan.”
She immediately pushed him so that his back was up against the tree and she had the sword to his throat.
“Where’s Henry?”
“You’ve got fire. I like fire,” he responded with a smile.
“You don’t know the half of it. I can show you a hell of a lot more. I’m just getting started. Now where is he?” She demanded.
“Henry’s still alive, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Why the hell did you take him?”
“He’s a very special boy, Katherine.”
“I know. That doesn’t answer my question. What do you want with him?”
“I came here to see who I was up against. The Savior.”
“Gotta say, I’m not disappointed.”
“What are you gonna say now? I’m never gonna see Henry again? If so, you’ve got another thing coming.”
“No. I’m going to help you find him. I’ll give you a map.”
She released him, but kept the sword aimed at him.
He took a piece of paper out.
“A map that will lead you straight to Henry.”
“If this is some kind of trap, you’re gonna regret it,” she threatened him.
He chuckled.
“I may not be the most well-behaved boy on the island, but I always keep my promises. The path to finding Henry is on this parchment.”
“Why are you giving it to me? Why help me?”
“See, it’s not about finding Henry. It’s about how you find him. And, Katherine, you are the only one who can.”
She took the paper from him, but it was blank.
She gave him a look.
“You’ll only be able to read that map when you stop denying who you really are.”
She watched, as he walked away.
Later, they were all awake and Katherine had informed them of everything. Regina was pacing and Hook was sitting on a log.
“He so likes his games,” Hook stated.
“What game? There’s nothing there,” Regina argued with him.
“If he said there’s a map on this parchment, then there is.”
“If I just stop denying who I really am, then we’ll be able to read this thing.”
“How do we know Pan won’t use it to lead us straight into a trap?” Regina questioned.
“Because he doesn’t need to,” Hook told her. “This whole island is his bloody trap.”
Charming and Snow came back from trying to track down Pan.
“There’s no sign of him anywhere,” Charming announced.
“Any luck with the map?” Snow asked.
“Don’t hold your breath,” Regina answered.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Katherine asked.
“Don’t you see what he’s doing? Every second we spend talking about this, is another second we’re not looking for my son,” Regina vented.
“You got a better idea?” Katherine asked, staring at the map.
“Magic.”
Charming sighed.
“If there’s a lock on there, I’ll find a way around it,” Regina said, before approaching.
“Pan said it had to be me,” Katherine reminded her.
“I’d listen to Katherine, luv. Breaking Pan’s rules would be unwise,” Hook told Regina.
“Sadly, I agree with the pirate,” Charming replied.
Hook turned and looked at Charming with a smile.
“I’m winning you over. I can feel it.”
“And your magic doesn’t exactly have a gentle touch, Regina,” Snow told her.
“Use it on the map, it might blow up in all our faces,” Charming warned.
“Well, that’s a risk I’m willing to take,” Regina said, approaching Charming.
“Well, I’m not,” Katherine interjected, standing up and looking at Regina. “If I’m the one who’s supposed to figure out this thing, I need to do what Pan said.”
“Great,” Regina commented.
“She’ll get there,” Snow assured her. She then approached Katherine. “Hey, don’t give up. If he’s playing a game, you can win.”
Katherine was sitting on a rock and Snow and Charming sat on a rock of their own, watching, as Katherine held the map.
“My name is Katherine Pierce,” she stated, as she tried to make it work.
“I wager the solution to Pan’s riddle is a bit more complicated than that,” Hook said, as he walked around.
Regina stood with her back up against a tree, waiting.
“Don’t hold anything back,” Snow encouraged her.
“I’m The Savior. I’m the sheriff of Storybrooke.”
Regina looked at her.
“That election was a sham. Are we really doing this?”
“Don’t you think maybe that you’re leaving some things out?” Snow asked, trying to help her out.
“I came to Storybrooke and broke the curse.” She looked at the paper, but nothing showed up. She sighed, realizing now that she was supposed to dig as deep as she could. “Let’s try this again,” she stated. She didn’t like people knowing who she really was, but she knew that this time she had to say it. “My name is Katerina Petrova from Bulgaria. I gave birth to Nadia in 1490 whom my father tore from my arms, because she was born out of wedlock and my discretions weren’t allowed at that time. I was banished from Bulgaria and ended up in England, where I met Trevor whom introduced me to Elijah and Klaus at a ball on Klaus’ birthday. I’m a doppelganger and Klaus needed to sacrifice me in the ritual to break the curse his mother set upon him 1,000 years ago. I found out what his intentions were and what he wanted from me and I ran like hell and then turned myself into a vampire. I fled back to Bulgaria on horseback, only to find my entire village, including my parents, slaughtered in only a way that I knew Klaus did it for revenge for me running from him. Meeting Klaus ruined my life, but Elijah and I fell in love and he protected me the best he could for 500 years until a few years ago, when he left me for Klaus, yet again, instead of going off and living a happy life with me. Because he left and because I took my rage out on my doppelganger, I got the cure for vampirism shoved down my throat which turned me into a human, and I was reunited with Nadia shortly before she was bitten by Tyler Lockwood and died around the same time I died. I’m all of those things, but I’ve also killed many alike and tortured and I’m very good at seeking vengeance and defeating my enemies. I’m also descended from Travelers.”
After she said all of that, the map began to appear before them all.
“It worked,” Charming stated.
“You did it,” Snow said.
“Now let’s go find my son,” Regina said.
“So it appears we will be venturing into the Dark Jungle after all,” Hook stated, when they all looked at the map.
“You mean the place you told us never to set foot?” Katherine replied.
He looked at her. “That’s the one.”
“Well, Katherine, you said you wanted to be the leader? Lead,” Regina encouraged her.
Katherine led them through the jungle, Regina at her side, the others following.
When they got to a certain area, they all stopped.
“He’s here. Pan. I can smell his smugness,” Regina stated.
Charming went around Regina and Katherine. He then took his sword out.
“Shall we? While we still have the element of surprise on our side?”
Regina followed after Charming, while Katherine stood there for a minute more.
Hook went to stand by Katherine.
“Careful. He may look like a boy, but he’s a bloody demon,” Hook warned her. Then he walked passed her.
Snow stood by her.
“Hey. We can do this. You can do this,” she assured her.
Soon, they entered where they should’ve seen the boys at, or at least Pan.
“No one’s here,” Snow stated, and stopped walking, while everyone else continued to walk into the clearing.
“Guys, hold on. Is that…,” she began, when she saw someone dressed like Henry, thinking it was him.
Everyone else stopped, seeing him as well.
“Henry?” Katherine said, being cautious, as she approached, but backed away and stopped, the others behind her, when he turned around and it wasn’t him.
“Hello, Katherine,” Pan greeted, once he’d turned around to look at them all.
“Where the hell is Henry? Give him to me.”
“Sorry. Can’t.”
Pan was a distance away, up a hill by some bushes, as his boys appeared with torches and other things.
Charming readied his sword for the fight and Hook looked around at all the boys, and, seeing some of them with bows and arrows, warning them, saying, “Watch out for their arrows. They’re laced with dreamshade.” Snow readied her bow and arrow, ready for a fight as well, and Katherine had the sword still that used to be Neal’s, but she was also ready for a magical fight just in case. Regina was ready for a magical fight herself.
A moment later, the fight began. Charming and Snow fought side by side as always, while Regina used her magic against some of them, and Hook sword fought with one of the boys.
“It’s been a while, Captain,” the boy greeted.
“Not long enough,” Hook replied. “Do you remember what I did to Rufio? Well, it’s a far worse fate for you.”
Charming almost got him by an arrow, but Katherine intervened, so she got hit in the side with it.
After a few minutes, Pan called the boys off and they all left.
Katherine watched them leave from where she was on the ground. Then, after a moment, she pulled the arrow out of her side, tossing it to the ground. Then she got to her feet, pretending to be okay, even though she knew that Hook knew that she wasn’t. Then they all continued to be guided by the map.
After the rest of them started walking ahead of her and Hook, Hook took out his flask and she gave him a look.
“Is rum your solution for everything?”
“Well, it certainly doesn’t hurt.”
He took a drink and then handed it to her and she took a drink as well.
She walked around him and away from him, once she’d handed him his flask back.
Hook watched her leave.
Later, she was picking berries, when Pan found her.
“Congratulations. You did it. Don’t pick the blue ones. You don’t mind if I call you the Lost Girl, do you?”
“I don’t care what you call me. It won’t stop me from finding Henry.”
Pan chuckled.
“Oh, I’m counting on that. There’s a reason I tested you.”
“Really? And what reason would that be?”
“You haven’t forgiven Klaus for killing your mother and Elijah for abandoning you.”
“Don’t deny it. You haven’t. That’s good. Really good. Because when you find Henry, you’ll understand him.”
She stood up quickly and turned around to look at him.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“He hasn’t forgiven his real mother for abandoning him. By the time you get to him, he won’t want to leave this island.”
“We’ll see,” she replied. She picked up the coconut bowl of berries and began to walk away.
Later, after delivering the berries to them, she hid behind a tree and lifted up her shirt, since she was feeling some pain, and saw the aftermath of the dreamshade laced arrow.
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